The Journalism of Creative NonFiction: When Fiction and NonFiction Collide

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The Journalism of Creative Non-Fiction When
Fiction and Non-Fiction Collide
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Defining Journalism

• Story telling with a purpose.
• Barry Hollander, Associate Professor of
  Journalism and Mass Communication at Grady
  College in GA
• The accurate, fair
• contextual pursuit of truth.
• - John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

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Defining Creative Non-Fiction

• Dramatic, true stories using scenes, dialogue,
  close, detailed descriptions and other techniques
  usually employed by poets and fiction writers
• about important subjects.
• - Lee Gutkind, Founder of Creative Nonfiction
  magazine

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Defining Creative Non-Fiction

• relatively recently recognized genre that
  involves writing from personal experience and/or
  reporting on other peoples experiences.
• - Duke University Writing Studio

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James and Oprah

• A Million Little Pieces

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Truth and The Times

• Former New York Times Reporter Jayson Blair
  Admitted to plagiarism and fabricated material

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Power of the Memoir

• Detroit Free-Press columnist Mitch Albom wrote
  the 2002 book Tuesdays with Morrie

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What is a Quote?

• Dialogue is always a composite.
• Imagine Making a transcript of everything you
  said in a day.

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Spring Break Flap

• Well? I said. How was Ft. Lauderdale? It
  was fantastic, mom. Thats fantastic with a
  capital F.
• The Cape May County Herald on
• April 9, 1986

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From Doubly Anxious, Doubly Excited

• But shes your grandmother, I said. They have
  supernatural powers.
• Kris paused for a second. Then she said, My
  grandmother didnt have twins.
• - The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 6, 2005

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The Burly Guy and Other Controversies

• The strangers we have passed on recent excursions
  have been less subtle. Youre going to hurt
  yourself buddy, remarked one fairly burly man
  recently.
• Parents Express in
• September 2004

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What is Accuracy?

• When we describe what the other person is really
  like. I suppose we often picture what we want.
  We look through the prism of our need.
• -Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe

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The Little Things

• Ever read the front pages or watch the evening
  news shows and think, Theyre all obsessed with
  the same story? Lots of readers and viewers
  think that, and you can gather in many of them by
  ignoring the big story and, instead, heading for
  the small things in lifethe little irritations,
  little pleasures, the stuff thats actually
  nonessential but, nevertheless, on the minds of
  many people.
• - Fink on page 166

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Greater Truths

• What captures a writers attention is not just
  what everybody else seesthe current crisis. In
  todays headlines, the writer recognizes larger
  trends, deeper truths about the way human beings
  behave. The particular events offer an epiphany,
  a way at getting at the deeper subject.
• - Gerard on page 8

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Your Experience

• Each piece of experience builds into a bigger
  piece of experience. When you report where you
  are, what you see, taste, touch, feel and smell,
  you also release what is inside of you, the
  pattern of what you have learned.
• - Bender on page 26

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Sam the Vegetable Man

• Sam was a real Philadelphia character with a
  nearly bald head that was dotted with a few hairs
  that looked like they were transplanted from his
  beard.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer on
• January 19, 2006

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The Personal Essay

• The personal essay is a version of events
  delivered in the writers voice. The spirit of
  the moment is what is most important. We are not
  just reporting on what happened, but what it
  means to us.
• - The Press of Atlantic City on February 9, 2006

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The Two Weddings

• We have all seen two friends battling over their
  memories of the same event such as wedding.
  Which version is the correct one?
• The Press of Atlantic City on
• February 9, 2006

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Realitys Characters

• Were always looking for an interesting
  protagonist.

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The Fine Line

• To be successful, a personal essay writer needs
  a journalists sharp eye and a painters deft
  stroke. But we must admit that it is the
  writers telling of the event that touches us,
  not the event itself.
• The Press of Atlantic City on February 9, 2006

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Im an Impressionist

• Your essays are like Norman Rockwell paintings.

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Audience and Emotion
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Choose an Essay
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Discussion Questions

• Whats newsworthy about the essay you read?
• Are any of the articles tied to a specific news
  event or trend? If so, what is that news event
  or trend?
• What do you remember about each personal essay
  and why? Be as specific as possible.

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Discussion Questions

• Do you see any universal themes in the essay?
  What are those connections/common themes?
• Would you classify these essays as journalism or
  creative non-fiction? Why?

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Discussion Questions

• Is there anything about your life that you feel
  is newsworthy? It could be something from the
  past, present, or future.
• How would you tell that story?
• Why is it compelling?
• Is there any universal theme or lesson that
  readers can learn from your life experience?

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5-Minute Essay

• Write a lead for a personal essay about a person.